MP farm loan waiver: BJP minister demands Congress apology
On Monday, Patel had told the Assembly during its one-day session that 51,53,534 applications came for the Jai Kisan Crop Loan Waiver Scheme
Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel on Friday asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and former MP CM Kamal Nath to apologise to farmers for reneging on its 2018 Assembly election promise to write off loans upto Rs 2 lakh.
He said farmers felt cheated and promised to get them to file fraud and conspiracy cases against Gandhi and Nath if “the two leaders do not apologise to farmers” in 24 hours.
“Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath passed an order relating to the waiver on December 17, 2018, but nothing came of it despite the Congress promising action in 10 days. Loans of farmers have not been waived off even now,” Patel said.
On Monday, Patel had told the Assembly during its one-day session that 51,53,534 applications came for the Jai Kisan Crop Loan Waiver Scheme.
“A sum of Rs 7,10,896 lakh for 20,23,136 cases was approved in the first phase of the scheme (by December 2019) while Rs 4,53,802 lakh was approved for 6,72,245 cases in the second phase. In the third phase, Rs 7,49,225 lakh for 5,90,848 cases await approval,” Patel said in reply to a question by senior Congress MLA Bala Bachchan.
However, BJP minister Bhupendra Singh claimed officials had given their minister an incorrect reply to Bachchan’s query, after which Patel said an inquiry had been initiated into the matter.
“Data given in the Assembly are ones uploaded by district collectors. But farmers did not receive money in their accounts,” Patel said.
However, MP Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said the BJP minister’s submission in the House had vindicated the grand old party, while the saffron party’s lie on farm loan waivers stood exposed.
He said people will teach the BJP a lesson in the bypolls for 28 seats, dates for which are yet to be announced.
Two days ago, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had tweeted that the previous Kamal Nath government in MP had fulfilled its promise of farm loan waiver, and had attached a news report on Patel’s submission in the Assembly.
